Bhubaneswar: Floods triggered by heavy rainfall have claimed at least four lives and affected more than 2.03 lakh people across six districts of Odisha, official sources said Wednesday. He said the water level of the Mahanadi river is likely to rise further but assured that discharge at Naraj near Kataka would be regulated and kept below 9 lakh cusecs. The state has also decided to open additional gates of the Hirakud Dam following a rise in the reservoir’s water level. “The water level in the Hirakud reservoir stood at 616 feet at noon against its full reservoir level of 630 feet. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at several places across Odisha over the next 24 hours, keeping authorities on high alert.